User Interface Reengineering: Low-Effort, High-Payoff Strategies

User interface technology has advanced rapidly in recent years. Incorporating new developments in existing systems could result in substantial improvements in usability, thereby improving performance and user satisfaction, while shortening training and reducing error rates. We describe low-effort, high-payoff strategies that focus attention on improvements to data display and entry, consistency, messages, documentation, system access and additional functionality. We report on experience from six projects, describing observations, recommendations and outcomes. We close with guidance for managers and designers who are responsible for user interface reengineering.